Shades of Gray
by Kazaera
Summary: Remus' years at Hogwarts, co-starring his friends - Sirius, James, Lily and Peter. Not your average MWPP fic. Chapt. 3: Remus goes to Platform 9 3/4, meets Sirius and gets a nasty shock at the Sorting... rated for violence and angst.
1. Chapter 1

Remus sat in a chair, staring out the window. It wasn't quite dawn yet, but there was   
enough light to see that it was raining heavily outside. Clouds covered the dark sky,   
and the world was quiet except for the steady, lulling, patter of rain on the roof of the   
cottage.  
Remus sighed, closing his eyes. He was exhausted and really should still be in bed –   
the full moon had only been a few days ago, and it had left its toll on the young boy.   
But something nagged at him, a splinter in his mind that wouldn't leave him any rest.   
It was already August, and his Hogwarts letter still hadn't come. /I knew it was foolish   
to expect one,/ Remus told himself silently. /They wouldn't want a monster like me   
around. But I had hoped that this new Headmaster, whatever his name is, could   
help…/  
The boy sighed again. Foolish, to hope. He'd thought his past experiences would have   
taught him better. Nobody wanted a werewolf, least of all the oh-so-good-and-  
righteous Gryffindors. He angrily blinked away tears that had been gathering at the   
corners of his eyes, brushing his light brown hair out of his face. Anybody watching   
would never have guessed that he belonged to one of the most feared types of   
monster, Remus thought bitterly. If anything, they would've remarked that he was too   
small, too thin, that he looked pale and drawn, as if recovering from an illness.   
Perhaps the more perceptive would have noticed the sad look in his strange green-  
gold eyes or the scars on his hands and face – most were covered in bandages at the   
moment. His last transformation had not been pleasant, he'd been too worried about   
Hogwarts.  
Remus felt the tears he'd been fighting against leak out and trace their way down his   
cheeks as he remembered a time when he hadn't dreaded the full moon, a time when   
he'd happily played with his family. And then, everything changed…  
******  
(Five years earlier)  
Remus ran through the forest, panting slightly. He'd been over at his friend John's   
house, and had stayed longer than he'd meant to. The sun had already gone down, and   
the moon hung in the sky like a large silver pearl. /I hope Mum and Dad aren't   
angry,/ he thought frantically. He'd really meant to go home before dusk, but he'd   
hadn't been paying attention. Anyway, what did it matter? This little stretch of woods   
wasn't dangerous. He and his twin brother had almost completely explored it, they   
knew every nook and cranny. Over there was the large oak that had been split by   
lightning last year, next to it the small birch sapling that was hardly taller than Remus.   
During the day, it would have been familiar, even boring. Yet somehow the moonlight   
cast strange shadows, making the well-known surroundings seem strange and alien.   
Hostile. Remus ran faster, he knew home was just around the next bend.  
Suddenly he froze. Was that just his imagination, or had he heard something from   
behind that tree? Hardly daring to breathe, he concentrated on his ears until he   
thought he could hear his heartbeat thrum. There. Something had snapped. Remus   
didn't wait a moment longer and dashed down the path, eyes wide open in terror as he   
heard a long, drawn-out howl behind him. He couldn't stop himself from looking   
behind him – what was that thing? The full moon illuminated the scene and Remus   
felt his breath catch in his lungs.  
A large wolf was running after him, fur gleaming silvery in the starlight, golden eyes   
glowing with hatred and bloodlust. Its mouth was wide open showing inch-long white   
fangs. Remus tried to scream, but something seemed to be clutching his throat,   
preventing him from making a sound. All he could do was keep his feet moving as   
quickly as he could. He knew he must be nearly home.  
There. The dirt under his feet was smoother, firmer, packed to the ground as the path   
widened. He must be nearly in the garden now, only a short distance and his mother   
would get him. She would drive the wolf away, she would make everything all right.   
Remus had nearly reached his home when he tripped.  
Later he would curse himself, he knew this place like the back of his hand, after all!   
He /knew/ that there was a root right there! But now Remus could only sob in terror as   
he sprawled onto the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut… /Make it go away. Make it   
go away, please, someone!/ For a moment nothing happened, and the young boy felt a   
brief glimmer of hope – had someone answered his desperate plea?  
Then he heard a snarling sound, and a terrible pain erupted in his shoulder. The   
choking feeling that had prevented him from shouting out earlier was gone, he let out   
a high, petrified scream.  
Remus was dimly aware of shouting, his father waving a stick around, a bright red   
light, something heavy falling onto his back, his mother turning him over. "Oh,   
Remus…" she whispered. That was the last thing he heard before losing   
consciousness.  
  
When he came to again, he was aware of lying on a bed. The pain in his shoulder had   
gotten worse and he felt as if he was burning up. He could hear voices somewhere   
above him…  
/"I'm sorry, Mrs. Lupin. There's nothing we can do."/  
/"No, no. There must be something, some cure…"/  
/"I'm afraid we've tried everything. He's been infected with lycanthropy."/  
/"You mean he's a werewolf?"/  
/"Yes…"/  
/"No, not Remus, please not Remus…"/  
The voices faded into blackness again.  
******  
His next few memories were confused, Lupin guessed that the werewolf bite had   
made him become very ill. He could remember his parents crying, his twin brother   
sitting next to his bed. He remembered trying to grasp Romulus' hand – he'd never   
been seperated from his twin before. Whatever they did, they did together, whatever   
happened to one of them, happened to the other. Until now. Romulus pulled his hand   
away. A few images were still very clear in his mind…  
******  
His father stood next to a strange woman, his mother hovered in the background.   
"Yes, that's perfectly all right," he said. "We'll donate… just take him…" Remus   
couldn't understand the rest. "Dad?" he asked weakly.  
Mr. Lupin stared at him. "Don't call me that."  
"But Dad-"  
"Stop it. You're not my son, my son is dead. You're a monster. Be thankful that we're   
even letting you live, it's more than you deserve." Mr. Lupin turned away from   
Remus. His mother gave her son a look full of disgust and did the same.  
"Mum! Dad!" Remus' parents didn't let their son's shouts stop them. Tears welling in   
his eyes, he stared as Mr. and Mrs. Lupin left through a door in the back. Sniffing,   
Remus realized his twin was in the room. "Romulus?"  
Romulus walked up to the bed, an expression of hatred on his face. "You heard what   
Dad said. You're not my brother. Leave me alone, /werewolf./" He walked away after   
his father, not heeding his identical twin's anguished outcry.  
The woman Mr. Lupin had been speaking to walked forward nervously. "I'm sorry,   
my name is Katherine Anderson. I'm from the Werewolf Support Services… it looks   
like you need a new home."  
******  
Home. Remus curled his lip at the thought. Sure, home. Someone – he couldn't   
remember who – had once said "home is where the heart is", and Remus' heart had   
shattered after hearing what his family said.  
Remus had been taken to a home for abandoned magical creatures. He'd been one of   
the only intelligent creatures there – as far as he knew, there might have been no   
others – as he was obviously too dangerous to be put into a normal orphanage. The   
owner of the establishment hadn't known what to do with a werewolf, and had let   
Remus mainly do what he pleased. The young boy – only six years old at the time –   
had tried to forget his anguish and sense of betrayal, burying himself in books. The   
old man – Remus couldn't even remember his name – still had quite a library, mostly   
about magical creatures, of course. The abandoned child had devoured tales of   
vampires, phoenixes, dragons, hippogriffs, basilisks… werewolves. There were other   
books, of course, but these didn't interest him nearly as much. Who cared which   
wizard had done what a hundred years ago? Yet, lacking other things to do, Remus   
had read those as well.  
Of course, there were the transformations. Remus remembered those all too well. The   
old caretaker had had a small cellar. The door had been reinforced, a Silencing charm   
cast on the room, and come full moon Remus had been locked inside.  
******  
Remus looked around the small room. There was nothing inside, not even a chair or a   
table. Just blank stone. Light filtered in from a small barred window, the sun had just   
set.  
The young werewolf whimpered. Nobody had bothered to explain what was going to   
happen to him, he'd had to browse through his books to figure out what was going on.   
The sections on werewolves had been… enlightening, but none of them had anything   
from the werewolf's point of view. /When I'm grown up, I'm going to change that,/   
Remus vowed silently. He had so many questions – did changing hurt? What would   
he do? There were so many stories of werewolves hurting people, killing them, what   
would happen if he broke out of the cellar? Maybe this was all a mistake, Remus   
thought wildly. Maybe nothing was going to happen. Maybe he wasn't a werewolf at   
all. Maybe…  
Remus suddenly realized that he was shaking, convulsing slightly. Then not so   
slightly. He collapsed to the ground, whimpering, then…  
PAIN!  
He let out a scream as every cell in his body seemed to shriek in agony. His bones   
elongated, hair sprouted, his teeth grew, his clothes disappeared,…  
The wolf cub snarled, looking around with bright gold eyes. Human! Everything   
smelled of human! It lunged at the door, trying to escape, trying to hunt down the   
human. It had to attack the human! Realizing it was trapped, it let out a loud howl.   
The smell of human only added to its bloodlust. It had to rip, tear, kill… the cub   
howled again and slashed at its leg. It hurt, but the craving for blood overrode the   
pain. The cub bit and scratched at itself, revelling in the pain, the blood…  
When the moon set, the old man quietly opened the door, wincing at the sight that   
awaited him – a young boy covered in bruises, bites and scratches, lying in a pool of   
his own blood. Mumbling about the strangeness of magical creatures, he gently   
dressed the lad's wounds, picked him up and brought him to his bed.  
******  
Remus winced slightly at the memory. He never escaped a full moon completely   
unscathed, but some were worse than others – generally depending on Remus'   
emotional state before transforming. That first one had been one of the worst.  
He'd lived with the old man for a while, surrounded by all kinds of strange creatures.   
Then, one day, shortly after his seventh transformation…  
******  
Remus looked up from his book listlessly as a woman entered the house. Visitors   
weren't exactly common, but every now and then a person came along, generally   
wanting to buy a magic creature. The old man didn't part with them easily, though –   
he seemed very attached to most of his pets. True, he didn't exactly know what to do   
with Remus, but that was hardly his fault. A magical zoo was hardly the place for a   
child to grow up, and Remus had been dumped on him without any warning.  
The woman now standing inside was like no one the young werewolf had ever seen,   
though. She was in her late twenties or early thirties, Remus guessed, and quite   
beautiful, with a long mane of silky black hair. More, there was a set to her jaw and a   
glint in her gray eyes that spoke of pride and independence. She seemed strangely   
defiant, standing there with her arms crossed in front of her chest.  
"… so you do not have any…"  
"very sorry, Miss…"  
Remus strained to hear snatches of the conversation, to no avail. He was just too far   
away. Sighing, he got up, cursing his curiosity. He'd gotten a bad bite on his left leg   
during the last full moon, and still walked with a limp – he should probably not be   
standing, but somehow this woman intrigued him. Luckily werewolves healed fast   
and their wounds didn't often scar, Remus thought. Otherwise his life would be really   
painful.  
The woman broke off the conversation when she heard Remus' approach. She raised   
an eyebrow at the old man. "I thought you didn't have a family?" she asked sweetly.  
He grunted. "So I don't, Miss. He's not family, he belongs here."  
The woman looked Remus over. "Magic creature, eh? Werewolf?" She smiled at his   
surprised expression. "Not much else you could be. And the bandages, ill look and   
golden tint to the eyes give it away – only if you know what to look for, of course."  
The man nodded. "Yep, werewolf. Parents abandoned him after he got bitten,   
Werewolf Support Services put him here. Couldn't go to an orphanage, apparently,   
and them at the WSS were too soft-hearted to put him out of his misery." He snorted.   
"So was I – don't see the problems everyone has with werewolves nowadays. Sure,   
they're not human, but they should at least have some rights."  
"I agree completely, it's simply disgraceful, the treatment some creatures have in   
today's society. What's your name, boy?"  
Remus felt somewhat annoyed at them for discussing him as if he wasn't there, but he   
answered softly. "Remus Lupin."  
The woman choked. "Not… Aeneas Lupin's son?" Seeing Remus' nod, she went on.   
"Poor child… bitten by a werewolf, and his father is the Head of the Committee for   
the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. I'm surprised he let you live."  
"He didn't want to. The lady from the WSS convinced him, I think." Remus' voice   
was hoarse. The betrayal still hurt.  
"Damned snobs. Wouldn't have expected anything else from a Gryffindor." The   
woman frowned in contempt. "So… what do you do here? It must get awfully   
boring."  
Remus grinned at the chance to talk about the things he'd read with someone else, the   
first time he'd smiled in weeks. The old man could never be bothered to talk with the   
young werewolf. "Well, there are quite a few old books here…"  
The boy chatted excitedly, glad to have found an appreciative audience. He was   
interrupted only when the old man scowled and said that speaking with "the lady" was   
all very well, but the full moon had only been a few days ago and he should /really/   
go to bed now. Remus nodded, quiet again, and said goodbye to the nice woman,   
trudging to his tiny room – the bed took up most of the space, and books the rest. A   
werewolf's hearing was good, and he managed to overhear some of what she was   
saying before falling asleep – "Would it be possible to adopt young Remus?"  
******  
The woman's name turned out to be Ziana Syrent. The Syrents were a very old   
wizarding family, distant relations of the Malfoys, and they were as tied to the   
Slytherin House as their cousins. However, Ziana sneered upon these connections.   
The Malfoys were weak, she said, preferring to serve another rather than live on their   
own. A true Slytherin should not wait on some master, a true Slytherin should use   
their talents to achieve their ends. Independence and pride ruled Ziana's life. She was   
contemptuous of most of the other Slytherins – weak, she said. However, she despised   
Gryffindor House almost as much as the Malfoys – "Righteous fools, thinking that the   
whole world can be divided into black and white. They are the good ones, we are the   
evil ones – they're blind to the shades of gray in the world. You saw what that attitude   
leads to in your family. Arrogant idiots." She frowned on Hufflepuffs, sharing the   
commonly held view that they were bumbling fools. "Everyone who isn't cunning   
enough for Slytherin, idiotically brave and self-righteous enough for Gryffindor or   
intelligent enough for Ravenclaw gets put into Hufflepuff – the dregs of the Sorting."   
Ziana didn't have that much against the Ravenclaws. "I suppose there are quite a few   
nice ones, but there are more than enough know-it-alls who show off their   
overwhelming intelligence and brilliant mind. Brains isn't all, you know. And it's   
possible to be /wrong/ even if you are a Ravenclaw." Strangely enough, she hardly   
minded Muggle-borns – "They're ignorant and will never be up to normal wizard   
standard, but they learn quickly. If we didn't recruit Muggles, we'd die out. After a   
few generations, you hardly notice the difference anyway." This was a typical Syrent   
viewpoint, a reason why the family had an ongoing feud with almost every other   
wizarding family in existence – and why they were nearly extinct.  
Ziana Syrent was relatively poor, and lived in a cottage near a wizarding village. Most   
of the people there avoided the "crazy lady Syrent", but once news had gotten around   
that she'd adopted a child the inhabitants showed more interest. Actually, Remus   
hadn't been adopted – werewolves apparently counted as beasts and not people.   
However, the others didn't need to know that, and after a few months, Remus –   
although he was quite shy – had made several good friends, and more than a few   
acquaintances of his age. He was very happy, now no longer studying nearly as much   
and spending far more time outside playing. A smile came easily to his face   
nowadays, and he'd even laugh sometimes. Until…  
******  
Remus ran down the street, back to the cottage where he and Miss Ziana lived. He   
gasped for breath between sobs, tears running down his face.  
"Monster! Freak!" Remus didn't know how they'd learned about his secret, where he   
went every month. Maybe someone had noticed when he'd been over to Felix's house   
a few days ago and had burnt himself on the silverware. Or maybe one of the boys   
had followed him when he'd gone to that shack on full moon, it hardly mattered now.  
His friends – ex-friends, Remus reminded himself – followed him, yelling names.   
"Werewolf! Dark creature! Evil monster!" Remus ducked as a stone sailed over his   
head, then winced as one struck him in the arm. The mob was picking up everything   
they could, hurling it at him. /Nearly there…/ Remus dashed up the cottage steps,   
sobbing. He ran inside and slammed the door shut after him, but the yells of the mob   
were still quite audible.  
"Get your things together. We're leaving." Ziana was standing in a corner of the   
hallway, face unreadable. Remus sniffed, the hurt obvious on his face.  
"Arrogant Gryffindors. That's all they were. Arrogant Gryffindors, stupid Hufflepuffs   
and know-it-all Ravenclaws. Don't let them bother you." /Miss Ziana sure has a   
strange way of comforting people,/ Remus thought bitterly, but he nodded and went to   
get his things. That evening, they'd left the village far behind – travelling by Floo in   
order to avoid the mob.  
******  
"The story of my life," Remus whispered softly. Wherever they were, soon, someone   
would find out about his secret, and they'd have to leave. In the end, Remus simply   
stopped making friends. He'd discovered that it hurt far too much to have them turn   
against you in the end. Ziana gave up shortly afterwards, as well. Their new home was   
deep in the forest, far away from anyone else, with plenty of privacy for Remus'   
transformations. They'd spent more time here already than they had anywhere else.  
Remus spent most of his time reading, as hungry for books now as before. Ziana was   
a very distant person, and although Remus was sure she cared for him in some way,   
she wasn't one for shows of affection, or even spending much time with him. They   
hardly spoke more than a few words to each other every day. She spent most of her   
time outside, growing magical herbs and selling them for a bit of money.  
Life had become quiet and monotonous, with only the agony of his transformations to   
mark the passage of time. However, somehow Remus had nurtured the small hope of   
going to Hogwarts. He knew it was impossible, that he was a monster – after all the   
Magical Creature books he'd read, after all the people who'd told him the same, the   
words no longer sounded strange. He knew that it was too dangerous, that he might   
hurt someone. But somehow, he'd hoped. He'd spent hours reading Hogwarts, A   
History, he'd thought about what House he'd like to be in. Not Gryffindor, not   
Hufflepuff. He wasn't sure if Slytherin was right for him, probably not. Ravenclaw   
didn't seem too bad though. All that hoping, thinking, reading… for nothing.  
Remus sighed and turned away from the window. He should really get back to bed.   
Or, maybe, go downstairs and make breakfast since he couldn't sleep. Yes, that was a   
good idea.  
As Remus walked downstairs, he missed the flash of white outside. 


	2. Disclaimer - I forgot it!

All right, I did WAY too much posting on FictionAlley. With its automatic disclaimer.*Sigh* Why do I get the feeling this site does not like me? Having to edit every fic you post twice. Disclaimer (borrowing from FA): This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 


	3. Chapter 2

It was too early in the morning for Ziana to be awake, so Remus tried to be as quiet as possible while he got out some bread. He really didn't feel hungry – a side-effect of the transformation was appetite loss and queasiness – but he knew that he was too thin as it was, and fasting for a few days after each full moon wouldn't do his appearance or overall health any good. Still, he didn't feel able to keep anything but some dry bread down. _Why did this have to happen to _me? Remus thought bitterly. _What did I do to deserve having my life ruined like this?_

A sudden tap on the window interrupted his thoughts. Looking outside, he saw a large snowy owl fluttering in the rain, a letter in its claws. _What's an owl doing here?_ Ziana did not have many friends, even less now that she was taking care of Remus, and owls were an extremely uncommon sight at her home.

Remus walked over to the window and opened it, the drenched owl flying in with an annoyed-sounding hoot. The letter was dry though – _must be an Impervius charm._ Remus frowned – the address was written in green ink:

__

Remus Lupin

The Upstairs Bedroom

Syrent Cottage

Witchwood

Turning it over slowly, Remus saw the purple seal on the back – a large H surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger and a serpent. Hogwarts! _It came! I think I managed to convince myself I wouldn't be getting one, after all… but it came!_ An idiotic grin spread over the young werewolf's face. Carefully opening it with trembling fingers, he almost dropped the parchment on the floor.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

__

of WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

__

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Lupin,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are aware of your condition and measures will be taken in order to ensure your and others' safety. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on Sept. 1, we await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall,

__

Deputy Headmistress

"What's that you have there, Remus?"

The werewolf looked up. Ziana Syrent was coming down the stairs, rubbing at her eyes. "It came!" he said, still grinning. He gave her the letter and picked up the second sheet of parchment, this one listing his schoolbooks and equipment. Miss Syrent skimmed over the letter and smiled. "Well, I see that the new Headmaster is as unprejudiced as everyone claims he is – at least concerning Dark Creatures."

"Can I go?" Remus asked hopefully.

"I can't see why not, if the Headmaster says it's all right and they take precautions…" Miss Syrent was interrupted as Remus dropped his letter and hugged her. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

She blinked, bemused. "Well, I don't know what I did that you should thank me for. Let's go to Diagon Alley and get your school things, shall we?"

"What, right now?"

"No, of course not right now. I was intending to wait until after breakfast at least." Miss Syrent smiled at the young werewolf. "After all, you wouldn't want to have to interrupt your shopping because you're hungry, would you?"

******

On top of the transformation queasiness, Remus was so excited he could hardly think of food, yet Miss Syrent wouldn't let him leave the table until he'd eaten several slices of bread. Then he went upstairs and changed into his good robes – the ones he'd been wearing were old and torn – while Miss Syrent got the money. Remus winced – he knew that his school things would be very expensive, and Ziana Syrent was quite poor. He hoped that they wouldn't have to buy too many things second-hand, he didn't want to be laughed at when he came to Hogwarts. But then again, he didn't really mind being an outcast – he was used to it by now – as long as he actually got to _go_ to Hogwarts. Remus could no longer imagine taking that for granted.

A short time later, both of them were downstairs. Remus was nervously playing with his sleeves while Miss Syrent was counting the money. "… thirty Galleons… that should be enough. After all, I still have most my schoolbooks, and they haven't been changed that much. The only new one you need is _Magical Drafts and Potions_, we used _The Art of Potion-brewing_. Seems they've replaced that one – a good thing, too, it was far too difficult. I also still have a cauldron and some scales from my Hogwarts days, I lost my telescope though, and the phials broke… so we'll have to get those as well. Ready to go, Remus?"

The young werewolf nodded, eyes nearly glowing with excitement. The golden tinge was nearly gone although the full moon had only been a few days ago. He picked up some Floo powder from the small sack next to the fireplace, threw it into the fire, stepped in and shouted "Diagon Alley!"

Remus squeezed his eyes shut as he felt himself spinning. Unlike most people, he didn't really mind travelling by Floo – it wasn't nearly as bad as the transformations every full moon. He stumbled when he stopped spinning and fell flat onto the ground, quickly scrambling away as Miss Syrent came through behind him – she managed to keep herself from falling. He picked himself up and stared around.

It had stopped raining and the sun was peeking out from behind the gray clouds. Despite the early hour, Diagon Alley was full, witches and wizards bustling around. Many children and teenagers were here with their families – it was nearly the start of term after all – and there were even some Muggle-borns with their parents. They looked odd in their Muggle clothes, standing and staring. It had been years since Remus had last been in Diagon Alley, and he found himself shivering slightly – it was so big, so colorful, and there were all these _people_. It was quite intimidating.

"Well, why don't you go to Madame Malkin's and get your robes." Miss Syrent did not seem to be impressed at all; of course, she'd been in Diagon Alley much more often than Remus. "I'll go and get your telescope and phials, then we can meet at Flourish and Blotts – no new books, though. We can't afford it. After that, the wand – that always takes the longest." Miss Syrent gave Remus a purse with about ten Galleons in it, then left, leaving him standing alone in the bustling street. _Now where is Madam Malkin's… ah, over there!_ He squeezed through the crowd and entered the shop.

Madam Malkin's was also full, and Remus had barely begun speaking when the witch working there interrupted. "You'll be starting Hogwarts, am I right? Don't worry, I know what you need. Sit over there and we'll be with you shortly." Remus nervously walked over to the stool indicated, then nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice came from behind him.

"Hi there! You starting Hogwarts too? My name's James Potter." Remus looked around to see a skinny boy with a head of unruly black hair peering at him from behind round glasses. "Mum and Dad went off somewhere and left me to get my stuff. Not that I mind, they'd drag me away from all the fun shops. So, who're you?"

"Remus Lupin," Remus answered softly.

"Really? I've heard of the Lupins. 'Course, my Dad works at the Ministry, so I hear all the newest gossip." Remus shrugged, he really didn't want to continue this conversation but had no idea what to say to make the boy stop. Thankfully, he seemed to get the hint. "So, what house d'you want to be in? I'm going to be in Gryffindor, I'm sure. All my family has been so far… although my aunt's in Hufflepuff. I hope I don't end up there, Dad would have a fit."

Remus blinked slightly. After all he'd been told of Gryffindor House, he didn't want to be in there. However, Miss Syrent had said that it was quite popular and that proclaiming himself as a Gryffindor-hater wouldn't get him many friends. "Ravenclaw, I guess. I don't want to be in Hufflepuff, and I guess Slytherin's not exactly the right place for me. And… well…" he bit his lip, wondering how to explain why he didn't want to be in Gryffindor. Fortunately, James interrupted.

"Don't think you're brave enough to be in Gryffindor? Don't worry, loads of people end up there who didn't think they were going to. You'll do fine, don't worry. D'you play Quidditch?"

"Well…" Remus _did_ know how to fly – he'd practiced on an old broomstick – but he'd never had the friends to play Quidditch with.

"I do, it's really fun!" And James was off, talking at breakneck speed about the rules, the teams, the brooms, and how much fun it was. Remus began to feel slightly irritated – _does this guy _ever _shut up?_ Luckily, at that moment Madam Malkin came in. "Your robes are done, dear." Lupin hopped off the stool and waved at James. "Bye – see you at Hogwarts." _After all,_ he thought after pocketing his change, _he may talk a lot but he seems quite nice – even if he is from a _Gryffindor_ family. He might be a Ravenclaw, you never know. And the more he talks about himself, the less_ _questions he'll ask me._

Remus walked across the street to the large bookshop, arms piled high with the packages from Madam Malkin's. He'd nearly reached the other side when somebody ran into him, knocking him down and scattering everything he was carrying onto the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the person cried, helping him up. It was a girl with flame-red hair and brilliant green eyes. Remus shook his head dazedly. "That's all right, it's easy to overlook someone in this crowd. Are you a Weasley?" he blurted, then blushed. _Not everybody with red hair is a Weasley, after all._

The girl bent down and began helping him pick up his things. "Weasley? What's that? I'm Lily Evans by the way."

"Oh." Remus smiled. "The Weasleys are a family known for their red hair. I'm Remus Lupin." Looking at the girl more closely, he saw that she wasn't wearing robes, but some kind of strange blue trousers and a shirt with short sleeves. "Are you Muggle-born?"

"Muggle-born? What's that?" The girl seemed terribly confused.

"Sorry, where have my manners gone? A Muggle is a person who doesn't have any magic. Judging by your answer, I'd say you are Muggle-born – that's a wizard or a witch whose parents are Muggles."

"Oh… yes, I am. That is, they are. I mean… oh, forget it! Do you know where I can get these things? You see, I've never been here before, and I seem to have lost the rest of the family, and–"

Remus burst out laughing at the stricken expression on her face. "It's okay! I know my way around. Robes – you'll need robes. You can get those at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, the shop is just across the road. Then the schoolbooks – Flourish and Blotts, we're standing right in front of it! The only place for wands is Ollivander's, it's been around for over two thousand years. It's in that building over there, next to the cauldron shop. I see you've already the rest of your things." Remus stopped in order to take a deep breath. Lily was just about to say something when they heard voices behind them.

"Lily! Lily! There you are. Don't scare us, running off like that!" A nervous-looking woman in Muggle clothes pushed her way through the crowd, followed by a thin, horse-faced girl with limp blond hair. "Who knows where you could've ended up!"

"Oh, Mu-um…" Lily whined. Remus bit his lip to keep from laughing at her petulant expression. "I was just looking for where we could get the other things on the list. Luckily I ran across Remus here who showed me where everything is. Mum, Petunia, this is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is my mother and my sister Petunia."

Remus shook hands with everyone. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Evans. And don't worry, Diagon Alley isn't dangerous. Just don't go into Knockturn Alley, the entrance is over there. It's not a place you'd like to be." Remus had been there once, with Miss Syrent, and he knew that Knockturn Alley was definitely not a place for Muggles. "I'd better be going, I told Mi- my guardian that I'd be meeting her in Flourish and Blotts after I was done at Madam Malkin's. See you at Hogwarts, Lily!"

Remus entered the shop, flushing when he heard "…_such_ a polite young man…" from the Muggles behind him. It was musty and cool inside, yet it was the books that drew Remus' attention. Shelves and shelves filled with them…

Remus jumped when he felt someone tap his shoulder. Miss Syrent was standing behind him, glaring at him. "I've already gotten your books – where have you been?"

He gulped. "Sorry, Miss Syrent. I bumped into a Muggle-born and her family on the way here and explained where all the different shops are – they were quite lost."

Miss Syrent nodded. "I see. Don't be late next time. Now all we need to do is get your wand."

Ollivander's was a small shop, filled with piles of narrow boxes. It was almost empty, except for a short, pale boy with silver-blonde hair who was just leaving. A man that looked just like him was waiting outside and gave Remus and Miss Syrent a penetrating stare. "Syrent." He spat the word as if it was an insult. Ziana Syrent raised her eyebrow. "Malfoy," she answered coldly, giving him a contemptuous look. The man hissed at her. "Come on, Lucius. Let's go."

"Who was that?" Remus whispered once they were out of hearing range.

"A Malfoy. Old pure-blood family, sniveling rats the lot of them. Prefer to creep around on their knees for someone rather than work for themselves – even Muggle-borns are better than _those_. Pretty deluded, the entire lot – don't you _dare_ associate with them at Hogwarts."

Remus sighed and nodded. Somehow, the list of people that he wasn't to talk with grew longer and longer. He wondered whether James Potter should be on that list. He wouldn't ask, though. James seemed a nice enough person, if a bit talkative, but Miss Syrent was sure to dismiss him if only for the fact that he was from a Gryffindor family. Well, the Malfoys seemed rather mean – the way the man had said the name _Syrent_. He probably wouldn't have wanted to talk to that boy anyway.

"Ahh, and who do we have here? Ziana Syrent, I see. Beech and phoenix feather, ten inches, wasn't it?" A strange, pale-eyed man had come out from behind one of the piles of boxes

Miss Syrent nodded. "Indeed it was. But I'm not here for myself, but for young Remus here."

Remus swallowed when the silvery eyes focused on him. "Remus? Not your son though, there's no likeness. Remus… Lupin, I take it. Son of Aeneas Lupin and Natalie Turpin, am I correct?" The young werewolf nodded, trying to ignore the lump in his throat. "Ah, yes, I remember when your father was in here, buying his first wand. A special moment, indeed. You have his face, you know? He was easy to match – maple and dragon heartstring, quite rigid, eight inches. Your mother, on the other hand, gave me a bit more trouble. In the end she chose ash and unicorn tail-hair, eleven inches. Interesting combination, that. But I suppose-"

"We are not here to talk about Remus' parents," Miss Syrent interrupted coldly. "We are here to buy him a wand."

Mr. Ollivander stopped, eyes glinting. "I see… well, then, young Mr. Lupin. Let us begin. Hold out your wand arm."

Feeling rather nervous, Remus stretched out his right arm. A tape measure was dancing around him, taking various measurements – although he had no idea why it would need to know how the distance between his eyes, say, or the length of his nose. In the meantime, Mr. Ollivander was taking various boxes out of the shelves. "Here at Ollivander's, we only sell the finest wands. Each wand is made of a high-quality wood and has a magical core. We mostly use phoenix feather, unicorn tail-hair and dragon heartstring, although lately I have been testing other materials. However, no two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two magical creatures are the same. And you will never use another wizard's wand as well as your own. Now, try this one. Willow and phoenix feather, twelve inches, rather bendy. Give it a wave."

Remus picked up the wand and waved it, but nothing happened.

"Apparently not. How about this one – oak and dragon heartstring, nine and a quarter inches, quite flexible."

Remus tried… and tried… The pile of discarded wands grew, and Mr. Ollivander frowned. "It seems you're a tricky customer, my friend. I believe… yes… some of the new materials might suit you. Try this one – eleven and a half inches, birch, pegasus feather. No? Then how about this one – twelve and three quarter inches, ebony, werewolf fur. Nice and springy."

Remus nearly choked when he heard Mr. Ollivander say "werewolf fur." _Does he know? _But the old wand-maker did not seem suspicious, so Remus reached over and took the wand.

It immediately felt warm in his hand, and as soon as he gave it a swish, it began glowing gold.

"Aha… interesting, indeed. Werewolf fur… I was beginning to believe I would never get rid of that one. Werewolf fur is not just for anyone, you know."

Remus wasn't sure he could stand, he was trembling so much. Luckily, Mr. Ollivander didn't say anything else but waved them out of the shop after taking seven Galleons for the wand. Outside, Remus took a deep breath of fresh air. Miss Syrent shot him a glance. "You look quite pale, Remus. I believe we'd better go home now."

The werewolf nodded, clutching his new wand. The incident at Ollivander's had struck too close to home for comfort, and he still felt dizzy. They walked over to the Leaky Cauldron and Flooed back to Syrent cottage, where Remus immediately fell into an armchair. _Werewolf fur… why does this kind of thing keep happening to me? No matter, I can't change it, I have to learn to live with it._ Driving everything that had happened to him out of his mind, he picked up his new Potions book and began to read.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed… in other words, thank you Allemande and Jill.

*glares*… hint: More reviews make authors happy. Happy authors write more. You understand? More reviews = happy Kazaera = more writing and less sitting around being depressed = more fics more quickly.

And – if you don't like the Sorting Hat song, _don't tell me._ I _know_ it's awful, I don't have to have that rubbed into my face. I just can't do rhyming stuff.

Remus spent the next few weeks reading his new schoolbooks and practicing spells. He was very nervous – what if people found out what he was? What if they treated him the same way his "friends" and his parents had? What if he had to go home? However, whenever he voiced these concerns Miss Syrent told him that he'd only have to be careful. After all, the Headmaster and the teachers had agreed that it was safe for him to come, and would probably help in making sure no one found out. He'd have to think of some good excuses as to why he left once a month, that was all.

Even with these worries, Remus could hardly wait till September 1st. He'd dreamed so often about going to Hogwarts, but had thought it would be only that – a dream. Now he had a chance of going to school normally, of making friends, of studying magic like any normal person.

Finally the day he'd be going to King's Cross Station arrived. Remus got up very early in the morning, he was too excited to stay in bed a moment longer. When Miss Syrent came to wake him, he'd already showered, gotten dressed, finished eating breakfast and was packing his trunk. The time until they left seemed to stretch, minutes like hours as Miss Syrent had breakfast and Remus, now done packing, paced back and forth. Finally, she sighed. "Really, Remus. Whether you look at the clock once every ten seconds or once every ten minutes, the time does not pass more quickly."

Remus blushed. "Sorry, Miss Syrent. I'm just excited."

"I think I can understand that."

They left a bit earlier than planned, Flooing to Diagon Alley and walking to King's Cross from there. Both of them felt uncomfortable in the strange Muggle clothes and tried to blend in, walking quite stiffly. They hadn't been able to afford an owl, so no one really looked twice at the lady and the boy with a trunk – Miss Syrent had been _very_ careful when getting Muggle clothes, so they didn't stand out. Unlike some other people… Remus winced as he saw a tall, black-haired boy with his family. Remus was no Muggle, but even _he_ could see that what they were wearing was _not_ ordinary Muggle attire. Miss Syrent sniffed.

"Who're they?" Remus said quietly.

"Blacks. Old pure-blooded family – obvious from their attire, is it not? _Gryffindor_." She spat the last word like an insult. "They have an odd obsession with using stars as names. The man is called Orion, he was five years above me at Hogwarts."

Remus snickered at the name. Suddenly the boy he was looking at turned around, mischievous brown eyes meeting sad gold-green ones. Remus blushed and looked away, embarrassed at having been caught staring.

They reached King's Cross Station soon after. Platforms 9 and 10 were full with Muggles, although there was the odd Hogwarts student here and there. In front of the barrier, Miss Syrent turned around. "Well, Remus, I have to go to Diagon Alley. You should be fine from here… I'll see you on Christmas, then. Or, should you decide to stay over the holidays, next summer. Have a nice year."

Remus nodded and smiled at his guardian. "I'll send you many owls, I promise. Goodbye!" Miss Syrent left, disappearing into the crowd.

As he was just about to walk through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾, Remus heard a voice behind him.

"Remus! _Wait_!"

Remus turned around. Lily Evans was running towards him. "Sorry to bother you again," she gasped. "But… how…"

"How do you get onto the platform?" he asked kindly. Lily nodded, blushing. "Don't worry about it. You just walk through the barrier, here."

Lily gaped. "But it's… _solid_."

"No, it's not. It just looks that way. C'mon, I'll go first."

He walked through the barrier. Despite all the times he'd been told about the entrance to platform 9 ¾, he closed his eyes when he was just in front of the wall. _Too fast to stop… I'm going to crash…_Then he was through. Lily emerged behind him and gasped.

As it was still rather early, the platform wasn't full. However, there were still quite a few students and parents bustling around. Owls hooted, cats meowed, tearful good-byes were exchanged. Lily stared around her. "This is so _strange_…"

Remus grinned at her. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Lily smiled back. "I hope I will. Thank you for telling me how to get onto the platform."

"Don't mention it."

"Hey, are you a first year?"

Remus and Lily turned around. Three girls were standing behind them, apparently talking to Lily.

Lily nodded. "Yes. I'm Lily Evans."

The blonde girl who'd spoken to her said, "Narcissa Pritchard."

"Ariel Patil," said a girl with honey-brown hair and a friendly smile.

"Li-Qin Chang."

"So, what House do you think you'll be in?"

As the four started to talk, Remus waved at Lily and said, "See you at Hogwarts."

He heaved his trunk onto the train and looked for a compartment. Most were still empty, he chose one near the back and sat down at the window. As it was still very early the train was quite silent. Remus had tossed and turned all night, too excited to go to sleep. But now, on the train, he found he couldn't think of anything but how nice and comfortable the seats were and how heavy his eyelids suddenly felt…

The next thing Remus was aware of was voices shouting angrily outside and the compartment door slamming shut. He blinked and looked up.

James Potter was dragging his trunk inside, muttering something under his breath. He jumped as Remus yawned. "Oh, sorry, did I wake you?"

"No… I mean yes… but I didn't mean to go to sleep anyway."

James grinned. "That's all right then. I hope I can sit here, but all the other compartments are full or nearly full. And while I was outside I ran into this greasy-haired git who was teasing a Muggle-born, I interceded, of course,"

__

Stupid Gryffindor pride, Remus thought fuzzily. _There is a fine line between chivalric and suicidal, and I'm afraid most Gryffindors have crossed it a long time ago._

James continued, "Well, then he hexed me – or tried to, the spell didn't work right – and I tried to hex him back – my spell worked better though! He got blue hair – and a prefect interceded, and said that we had better find a compartment _right now_, and if we got into trouble again on the way here we'd get detention when we arrived. That's pretty unfair, don't you think? I mean, I was only defending the poor kid!"

Remus nodded, about to drift off again. James' incessant prattle was strangely lulling, rising and falling steadily. He was brought out of his doze by the sound of the compartment door slamming shut – again. _What is it now?_ Remus thought irritatedly. The boy he'd seen on the way to the station had just entered. He was tall, with longish black hair tied back and mischievously twinkling brown eyes.

"Sorry for bothering you," he said. "I just heard that the boy who turned Sevvie's hair blue was in this compartment and wanted to meet him. Say, can I sit here? All the other compartments are full of older students – I'm Sirius Black."

James grinned. "James Potter. And yep, I turned that slimy git's hair blue. His own fault, really, picking on a poor Muggle-born kid who'd never heard of magic before he got his letter. I still got a reprimand for it – unfair, don't you think?"

Sirius interrupted. "I know, I know. The 'slimy git' as you called him is one Severus Snape, I live near him – woe is me, wouldn't you say? I think 'slimy git' is a much better name for him than Severus Snape anyway." He looked around, noticing Remus for the first time.

"Hey, aren't you that kid I saw on the way here?"

Remus grinned. "Yes, Remus Lupin at your service. And next time try to dress more like a Muggle. You were so obvious, you might as well have had "Hogwarts student" flashing above you in big letters."

Sirius winced. "Really? That obvious? Well, I never really got the hang of all this Muggle stuff anyway." He peered down at his ill-assorted clothing. "Hope you don't mind if I change, these… _clothes_… are so uncomfortable."

"Yes, we have to be wearing robes when we reach Hogwarts anyway. And you're right – how do Muggles manage to wear these things? They're so… strange." James pulled at his jumper.

After changing, the three boys chatted. Well, James chatted, Sirius answered when he stopped to draw breath, and Remus threw in a word or two now and then. After a short time, Sirius' and Remus' eyes met and they simultaneously burst out laughing. James looked from one to the other, annoyed. "What?"

Sirius gasped for breath. "Really, James… do you… _ever_… stop talking?"

James looked mildly insulted, then a huge grin spread over his face. "Well… no. We're a very talkative family. Dad says that all Potters are short, skinny, have black hair that resists any attempts to tame it, glasses and _never_ shut up. It's been that way since we can remember." This made the other two boys collapse in hysterics again. "I think you can imagine how noisy it is at home, with everybody talking non-stop. If you want to say something to me, just interrupt. Don't worry, I'm used to it. Anyway, I'm normally the quietest of the family. It's just all the excitement."

Sirius caught Remus' eye again and winked. Then he frowned. "Hey Remus, what happened to your eyes? They look really cool."

Remus blushed, feeling both boys staring at him. "Well, I had a bit of a magical accident when I was younger." _That's actually true, you know. Bit of a magical accident meaning werewolf bite._ "They've been like that ever since. They even change color sometimes."

"That is so cool. My eyes are boring – gray, just like my father's and his father's and his father's… although it's not another mark of the Potter line. It's from my great-great-grandmother. Don't remember what family she was. I wish that I had eyes like yours, Remus." James seemed very enthusiastic.

__

Trust me, you don't. Not with the ramifications, at least. Remus forced a smile. Luckily, that side-effect of lycanthropy – the golden tinge that came and went with the moon – wasn't very well known. As a matter of fact, several notable researchers had claimed that it was 'complete rubbish' and 'solely based on children's stories.' Thus, it was highly unlikely they'd ever discuss that in Defense Against the Dark Arts. And these two didn't seem the type to spend much time in the library.

The rest of the voyage was spent talking amicably. Sirius interrupted James quite often, Remus every now and then. Luckily the subjects weren't too dangerous. There was a painful moment for Remus when the talk came to families.

James started. "My parents both work at the Ministry, my dad in the Department of International Magic Co-operation, my mum in the Wizard-Muggle Relationships Office. She convinces the Muggle-borns that the letter is true and that magic exists." At this all three boys paused – a rare occurrence for James – imagining how it must be to live without magic. "That's how I met that boy – Peter, I think his name is. Mum went to his house to explain everything, I tagged along. Muggle houses look so _interesting_! I have an older brother, he's Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Playing Quidditch is a Potter tradition, same as being in Gryffindor."

__

The Potters seem to have a lot of family traditions, Remus thought.

Sirius was next. "Well, my mum works training post owls and my dad's an Auror. Actually, neither of them really need to work… the Blacks quite rich. Old family, y'know – we're all from one it seems. But… well… Mum loves her work – she was a Hufflepuff – and Dad thinks it's his duty. Whole family is Gryffindor with the odd Hufflepuff thrown in, so I'm almost certain to be in Gryffindor."

__

Oh, great, not another Gryffindor snob! I don't need this!

Both boys turned to Remus, who cleared his throat self-consciously. "Well… erm… I'd really rather not talk about my family. Really," he said desperately. He prayed that they wouldn't pester him too much. His only other options were to blatantly lie – and it was so easy to get caught in a lie – or to explain that he'd been 'adopted', which would leave the question of _why_ a rich, old pure-blooded family would abandon one of its sons at age six and keep the other. That would certainly take some explaining.

The two boys looked sympathetic. "Oh, family difficulties? I'm sorry, that's awful," Sirius said. There was an awkward silence for about three seconds until James burst out again.

"Hey, did you hear about the person who tried to rob Gringott's? My dad got pictures of what happened to him – don't ask me how, Dad has all kinds of connections within the Ministry." And he was off on a new subject.

When the witch with the food cart arrived, all three of them were starving. Both James and Sirius bought plenty of things – Cauldron Cakes, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs,… Remus looked mournfully at the pile of sweets.

"Don't you want any, dear?" the witch asked him.

"No, I'm not hungry," Remus said as his stomach gave a loud rumble. The witch surveyed him critically. "Well, if you're sure dear… I'll be up with the driver if you change your mind."

James looked at Remus. "You really don't want anything? You look real hungry." Remus shook his head. He _was_ hungry, but he really couldn't afford anything. He'd just have to wait until the feast. James didn't drop it though. "Really. You're all thin and you look pale, you should eat more."

"James!" Sirius hissed. "He probably can't afford it!" An ordinary human wouldn't have been able to hear what had just been said. A werewolf, however, could understand just fine, and Remus felt blood rushing into his cheeks. _I really hate being so poor._

"Oh." James said, looking embarrassed. "Well, you can have some of mine, then. I think I bought too much anyway."

__

True, I don't know how he can eat that much, Remus thought as he fought back a smile. Normally he would never have accepted charity, but he was hungry. And tired of being poor. So the three boys munched their way through the pile of sweets. Remus idly wondered how James managed to eat so much and yet talk so much at the same time. Sirius must have been entertaining similar thoughts because he asked, "Hey James, how do you talk and eat at the same time?"

James grinned brightly. "Family trait – comes with practice."

It was the first time Remus had really talked with others of his own age in quite a while. Gradually his nervousness waned, until he was contributing almost as much to the conversation as Sirius. All in all, the three felt somewhat sad when they reached Hogsmeade. Remus was a bit worried about leaving his luggage on the train, but the other two assured him it would be all right.

It was dark and the platform was full of students. Remus, being rather small and thin for his age, was nearly swept away until Sirius grabbed his arm. "Hey Remus, don't run away from James and me," he joked. The three wandered around a bit until they heard someone shouting.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Follow me!" A giant of a man was holding up a lantern and shouting. James, Sirius and Remus fought their way through to him. They were among the last to join the group of frightened-looking first years.

"Is tha' everyone?" the man asked. "Well, come along then! Ye'll get yer first sight of Hogwarts jus' round this corner." Remus gasped at the imposing castle that had just come into view. He'd heard so much about Hogwarts, but he'd never seen any pictures of it. _I didn't think it would be so… so… big? No. Impressive_, he thought. _I didn't think _anything_ could be so impressive._

"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant called. Remus gulped, surveying the fleet of boats that was floating in the… lake? He hadn't even noticed the lake, he'd been so intent on gaping at the castle. Remus got into a boat with Sirius, James and – to everyone's great disgust – a certain sallow-skinned boy with bright blue hair. Sirius grinned at him. "Why, Sevvie!" he said in a mock friendly tone. "How nice you look today! Especially your hair – my, what have you done to it? It looks _beautiful_!" Remus tried to hide his laughter.

"Shut up, Black," the boy snarled and glared at James, who glared back. "You deserved it, you know. How dare you tease Muggle-borns?"

The boy… Severus Snape, Sirius had called him… retorted, "If you were a _proper_ wizard you'd know better than to make remarks like that. Those Mudbloods don't deserve to go to a place like this." James looked as if he were about to explode.

"And who are you to decide things like that?" Remus interrupted, beginning to rise from his seat. "_We_ have a completely different opinion of what makes a person a wizard." True, he might not be all too fond of Muggle-borns, but they were quite nice people on average and _much_ better than someone like that snobbish pureblood. _It's no wonder Gryffindors hate Slytherins, with people like _him_ around._

Snape sneered at him. "And who asked _you_?" He gave Remus a shove. Ordinarily Remus would've easily kept his balance, maybe pushed him back. However, he was half-standing in a precarious position, and the small shove was enough to make him topple over the side.

The water was icy cold and Remus nearly let out his breath in shock. However, survival instinct kicked in and he tried to get to the surface. The robes were heavy in the water and dragged him back down. He struggled against them and then…

__

Something grasped him around the waist and propelled him upwards. Remus surfaced, gasping for air, and two pairs of hands grabbed him and pulled him into the boat. James and Sirius looked at him worriedly. "Are you all right?"

The giant was shouting at Snape, who had been transferred to another boat. "…detention…" was the only thing that Remus caught. Then he looked at Remus. "Yer all right?" The werewolf nodded, teeth chattering. It was cold for September. "We'll get ye dried off when we reach the castle. Don't worry 'bout it."

The rest of the journey to the castle was relatively silent – even James was hardly talking. All three were looking around in awe, although the other two shot Remus occasional worried glances. He pretended not to see them… _really, I'm just a bit wet. Nothing to worry about, I've been in _much_ worse shape before. _However, he couldn't deny how relieved he felt when they finally reached the shore – he didn't want to risk getting ill. Illnesses – even a small cold – made his transformations even worse than usual. 

The giant used a Drying Charm on Remus, who sighed gratefully – still being cold, but no longer soaked to the skin. "Everyone here? All righ' then," he said and knocked three times on the castle door, which opened. A tall witch with black hair stood there. She was quite young but looked strict. Definitely not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you, Hagrid." _So the giant's name is Hagrid,_ Remus thought. The witch continued, "I will take them from here."

She took the frightened first years through a gigantic entrance hall and into an empty chamber. You could hear voices coming from outside, this room was obviously near the Great Hall Miss Syrent had told him about. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to gain their attention.

"Right, now, everybody please listen. Welcome to Hogwarts. Before the start-of-term banquet you will be Sorted into your Houses. These Houses…"

Remus tuned her out. He already knew already about the different Houses, and what they meant. This little speech was for the Muggle-borns, and Remus felt far too nervous to listen – he felt as if he'd swallowed a swarm of butterflies.

Professor McGonagall finished, asking them to wait, and left through another door. _That one probably leads into the Great Hall_, Remus thought. He was feeling very frightened – what if he was put in Hufflepuff? He'd never be able to survive the shame… Miss Syrent would be _so_ disappointed. Or even worse – Remus' stomach lurched horribly at the thought – what he wasn't Sorted at all? What if that Hat he'd heard about shouted "WEREWOLF!" for the whole school to hear? After all, everyone knew that Dark Creatures didn't belong in a place like Hogwarts.

Remus' thoughts were interrupted by Professor McGonagall's return. "Please form a line and follow me." The first years followed her silently – Remus wasn't the only one who looked nervous. Sirius was quite calm, but James seemed almost as frightened as Remus. He'd even stopped talking, much to Remus' surprise.

They filed into a hall lit by floating candles. It looked as if there was no ceiling, but Remus knew that it was merely bewitched to show the sky outside. Currently it was clear and thousands of bright stars shone down onto five tables – four filled with students, one with adults. The moon was waning, Remus noted absently. Almost new.

Professor McGonagall brought a small stool out in front of the first years. She put an old-looking, frayed hat on it. _That must be the school Sorting Hat. It's supposed to sing, isn't it?_ Sure enough, a tear just above the brim opened up, and it began to sing.

"You come from outside,

I see you're all wet.

I guess you know me,

Hogwarts' Sorting Hat.

I have the solution, I bring the clue

I know who you are

and in which house you'll go.

But no need to worry,

I know your story

And all that I say is true.

You might go to Gryffindor

You must leave behind your fear

Bring bravery, nerves and more

If you wish to belong here

Then Rowena, with Ravenclaw

For her students of lore

You need books, wits and wisdom

Should your spirit soar

Or else there is Hufflepuff

Always a helping hand

Patient, kind, fair

The most loyal friend

Finally, Slytherin

Silver-green snake

You can get power, yet

what will it take?

Just put me on,

I've never been wrong

I'll show you where you belong!

When the Hat was finished, everyone clapped. Professor McGonagall stepped forward again, holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your names, please step forward and try on the hat.

Abbott, William!"

A blonde boy stumbled forward, face pale. The Hat fell over his eyes. There was silence for a moment, and then… "HUFFLEPUFF!" The table on the right – apparently Hufflepuff – cheered as the boy took off the hat and walked over. The Abbotts had a long history of being in Hufflepuff.

"Black, Sirius!" Sirius strode forward, cool and collected. He seemed very sure of where he'd end up. And sure enough, the Hat had barely touched his head when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius grinned.

"Chang, Li-Qin!" _Obviously immigrants… I wonder if she's Muggle-born?_ Remus wondered as a tall, pretty Asian girl walked up to the stool. The Hat didn't take long this time either – "RAVENCLAW!"

Remus let his mind drift as several more C's and D's went to be Sorted. _No Slytherins yet… well, I hear there's a new Malfoy coming. Two, to be exact._ Miss Syrent had said that Lucius had a twin sister who hadn't been there on that day in Diagon Alley. _Those are bound to be Slytherins._

He jumped when he heard "Evans, Lily!" The Muggle-born had seemed a very nice sort, he hoped she'd go into Ravenclaw. Lily came forward, red hair shimmering in the candlelight, and put the Hat on. It seemed to consider for a moment, but after a short time it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Remus groaned as the table on the far left exploded with cheers. The Slytherins booed, but no one heard them over the tumult. _Gods, why'd she have to be a Gryffindor?_

"Figg, Theresa!"

Remus yawned slightly as the Sorting went on… and on.

Finally, after "Lestrange, Felix" had joined the Slytherins, he heard "Lupin, Remus!" get called.

Remus walked forward, face pale. The whispers in the crowd seemed to echo in his ears, he felt queasy and dizzy. _I'm not going to collapse… I will not… this is just nerves…_ Finally he'd reached the stool. He sat down hard and let the Hat drop over his head.

"Hm, what have we here?" said a quiet voice in his ear.

__

You can talk? In my head?

"Well, of course I talk!" the Hat sounded quite affronted. "Need to discuss where you go, I'd better be able to talk! Now, let's see. You're not ambitious at all, are you… no, Slytherin's definitely not the place for you. I'm afraid you'll have to disappoint Ziana there."

__

You know Miss Syrent?

"Of course I do! I Sorted her after all! Now be quiet and let me do my job. All right, quite loyal, but not Hufflepuff material. You'd do fine there, but I don't think it's the place for you. A very good mind, quite clever and studious. Yes, Ravenclaw would suit you well. But, wait! What's this? A werewolf?"

Remus felt as if his blood had frozen in his veins. _Don't… please don't…_

"Tell? 'Course I won't! What do you take me for? You have the same right to an education as anyone else! Well, this puts an entire new spin on things. You truly need bravery to survive in your state. Many people would have given up, y'know. But not you… oh yes… Godric would be proud to have you in his House."

__

NO! Not Gryffindor… please_ not Gryffindor._

"Sorry, mate, but I know where you belong. Don't let your prejudices dictate your actions. You'll do well in… GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus slipped the Hat off his head and walked over to the Gryffindor table, in shock. _Gryffindor. No, no, no. Why in the world am I in Gryffindor? _Then a new thought came. _How in the name of Merlin will I be able to explain _this_ to Miss Syrent? She'll be so disappointed. _Sirius waved him over, and Remus forced a smile and sat next to him. "What took so long?" he asked.

"Well, the Hat and I… argued a bit. I thought I was a Ravenclaw." _Now that I'm in Gryffindor, it _really_ wouldn't be smart to mention that I hate this House._

"Apparently not, though. Oh, look, the two Malfoys are getting sorted. I wonder why they bother." Sirius smirked as "Malfoy, Lucius," was made a Slytherin almost before he'd even put the Hat on. Then came "Malfoy, Sophie." She resembled her brother immensely, so much that another boy at their table wondered how they'd be able to tell them apart. To everyone's surprise, the Hat didn't immediately yell out Slytherin. After a few minutes, whispers grew into murmurs. Then the Hat opened its "mouth" and shouted… "RAVENCLAW!" Most people gasped.

"What on earth? A Malfoy in _Ravenclaw_?" Sirius said. Remus nodded. "Now you know why Malfoys still get Sorted," he said, grinning.

"But… but… no Malfoy has gone into another House in three hundred years!"

"Until now, it seems."

When "Pettigrew, Peter" was called, Sirius nudged Remus. "I think that's the guy James was defending earlier." Remus looked at a small, slightly plump blonde boy. The Hat took nearly as long as with Sophie in deciding his House, but finally sent him to Gryffindor.

"Potter, James!" James stepped forward, trying to flatten his unruly hair. "Let me guess, the chatterbox lands in Gryffindor as well?" Remus asked acidly. Sirius grinned at him. "Hey, so he talks a bit much. He's not bad." True to what Remus said, James soon occupied the chair on the other side of Sirius. "See!" he grinned at Remus. "Toldya you'd get into Gryffindor with us!" Remus bit his lip. _Oh gods, why Gryffindor? Okay, so James and Sirius are nice, but… _Gryffindor! _House of the self-righteous idiots!_

The rest of the Sorting passed quickly. No names that they recognized were called, until…

"Snape, Severus!"

Sirius and James snickered, seeing that Snape's hair was still bright blue. "Oops, someone forgot to do a _Finite Incantatem_ there," James mocked. "Ah, it should wear off in a few days."

The hat didn't take long to send Snape to the Slytherins. "Well, _that_ was a surprise," Sirius said. Remus looked at him, irritated. _Honestly. Every idiot in the world gets sent to Slytherin… sure. Gryffindors are just as bad if not worse – wait, I'm a Gryffindor now. Merlin, what did I _do_ to deserve this?_

The last person to be Sorted was a Weasley, youngest in the family. "Well, I left a seat free for him," Sirius said good-naturedly – all Weasleys went to Gryffindor. But once again they were surprised – "RAVENCLAW!" the Hat shouted.

"What _is_ it with old families and Ravenclaw this year? I don't think we've ever had this many surprises in one Sorting!" a fifth-year said. The three other Weasleys sitting at the table gaped as their brother, looking quite dejected, made his way to the Ravenclaw table.

"Malfoys and Weasleys in one House. Enjoy." Remus wasn't sure who'd said that, because just then the Headmaster stood up. "As I know that you are all starving, I will hold the speech after the feast. I only have two words left to say – dig in!"

The empty plates in front of them filled with food. There were salads, all kinds of meat, potatoes, vegetables, and of course the trademark peppermint humbugs. They were always there, and no one had ever touched one. Remus was slightly nervous, but relaxed when he saw that the cutlery was made of gold – _not _silver. He'd had some trouble with silverware. His stomach growled, and he realized exactly how long it had been since the sweets at lunch, and how good the food smelled.

Remus watched his new housemates – _Gryffindor. Oh no oh no. – _while eating. There were four boys – him, James, Sirius and the Pettigrew boy – and three girls. Two of those – Amanda Ray and Mallory Fletcher – already knew each other and were chatting. Remus felt sorry for Lily, who looked quite lonely. The three girls she'd made friends with on the train had gone into Slytherin and Ravenclaw, and now the other two Gryffindor girls were leaving her out.

He leaned towards Lily. "So, how do you like it at Hogwarts?"

She turned around, surprised. "Oh, I love it here! It's so… so… different," she said, and Remus wondered what her Muggle family was like. "I hope I do all right in my classes, I'm one of the only Muggle-borns here and I'm sure to be behind…"

"Don't worry. We know a bit more than you about the magical world, that's right, but there's so much to learn. You'll catch up quickly." Remus wondered if all Muggle-borns were this nice.

"What kind of things will we be learning?"

Sirius, who'd been listening to James, joined the conversation. "All kinds. There's Charms – useful, handy spells, basically. Levitating, summoning, banishing, making bright lights and similar."

Lily nodded. "Mr. Ollivander told me my wand was very good for Charms work."

"Watch out, here's our new Charms specialist," Sirius joked. "Leave us some time to catch up to you, all right?"

He continued. "Potions is taught by the Head of Slytherin, has been for a while. He favors his own House a great deal, discriminates against the non-Slytherins." Sirius looked angry. Remus felt annoyed – _Of course. Go all self-righteous. Have you ever thought about the way _Slytherins_ are treated by most people?_

"Potions is where you learn how to make… well, potions. All those sleep draughts, poisons, antidotes, truth potions, and similar. Love potions are forbidden, so don't even _think_ about it."

He winked and Lily laughed.

"Then there is Transfiguration… that's turning things into other things. Very difficult, I hear." Lily looked nervous.

"History of Magic is supposed to be awfully boring, learning about all kinds of things that happened hundreds of years ago." Sirius wrinkled his nose and Remus bit back a laugh.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is where you learn about all the different curses, hexes, how to defend yourself against Dark magic, and Dark creatures." Remus flinched at the last, then looked around. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed.

"Herbology is learning about all the different magical plants, Astronomy – well, I think you can guess from the name, right? Stars and planets. There are a bunch of other subjects, like Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, but we can't take those until next year."

"You forgot Flying," James threw in. "That's where you learn how to ride a broomstick. Most of us already know how though." His face glowed – James obviously liked flying.

"You really do that? Fly on broomsticks, I mean? I thought those were only… fairy tales!"

Sirius snorted. "Of course we fly on broomsticks! It's really fun! And how else are we supposed to get around? We're not allowed to Apparate until we pass our test, you know!"

Lily blushed and looked down. "I… I…"

"Stop it, Sirius," Remus broke in. "She's Muggle-born, she can't be expected to know all of that."

Sirius looked angry for a moment, then embarrassed. "Um… sorry, I didn't mean to sound… condescending."

There was an awkward silence, broken by Dumbledore standing.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! There are a few announcements to make.

First of all, first years should know that the forest outside the castle is forbidden to all pupils." Sirius' and James' faces fell.

"Our caretaker, Argus Filch, would like me to remind you that no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes. He also wishes first years to look over the list of objects not to be carried or used in the school hanging outside his office. I believe the list encompasses some three hundred ninety-six items.

If you wish to play Quidditch for your House team, contact Madam Hooch. Please note that there are remarkably few free places this year, and that the chances of getting onto your House team are slim."

James looked dejected. "I was hoping to play Quidditch on the Gryffindor team," he mumbled.

"No chance of that," one of the older Weasleys said. "The Gryffindor team is full. Next year, maybe – two Chasers, a Beater and a Keeper are leaving."

Remus yawned, missing the next few things Dumbledore said. Then there was a scraping noise, and everybody stood. The first-year Gryffindors followed a prefect – Frank Longbottom, Remus heard him being called – out of the Great Hall, and up a flight of stairs, another corridor, more stairs, through a hidden doorway, more stairs... Remus felt light-headed. He knew the Slytherin common room was in a dungeon, but he hadn't known the Gryffindors had theirs in a tower.

The Ravenclaws walked with them for a bit, then went another way at a fork in a corridor. Remus looked after them longingly, wishing that he was with them. _Why did the Hat have to put me in _this _house?_

"Anything the matter, Remus?" Sirius was looking at him. Remus blinked, realizing that the rest of the first years were nearly out of sight down the corridor. "Nothing, just tired I guess," he said and hurried after them.

Finally they reached a large painting of a fat woman in a pink dress. "Password?" she asked.

"Pumpkin juice," the prefect said. "And remember that, everyone. That'll be our password for the next week or so."

The painting swung open to reveal a large round room full of armchairs, decorated in scarlet and gold. Lily and the two other Gryffindor girls went through one door, the boys were sent through another. Their dormitory was at the top of a spiral staircase. There were four four-poster beds. Peter wondered, "How did they know how many of us there would be?"

"Dunno," James yawned. "Blimey, I'm tired." Remus gave a relieved sigh when he saw that his trunk had been brought up, and Sirius winked at him. "Toldya not to worry, didn't I?"

The four boys changed into their pajamas quickly, then got into bed. Remus fell asleep almost at once.


End file.
